- Date
- August 2, 1987, 16:46 local (21:46 UTC)
- Place
- Hempstead, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N78ASLet L-13
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 2, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 22409
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Acft landed short of threshold following a low release shortly after t/o. release was low due to tow plane's being unable to climb above 200' AGL due to the glider's spoilers being deployed inadvertently during the t/o. the plt stated that he executed a 270 deg turn to return to the threshold instead of making a 90 deg turn to the rwy. Plt was unaware of the spoiler deployment despite the grnd crew's attempts to warn him by radio. The radio volume was turned down.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N78AS
- Reported as
- Let L-13
- Category
- Glider
- Serial number
- 027018
- Airframe hours
- 727
- Engine
- None NONE, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Soaring Club Of Houston, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 28, 1987 · 121 hours before
- Departed
- 35R
- Airport
- 35R · Hempstead, runway 17, 3,000 × 50 ft, grass/turf
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Unknown
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 485 total · 17 in this make and model · 466 as pilot in command · 51 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg